This commentary set is on 50% discount now. Are there any existing users that can offer some reviews on this set? Is it worth paying the money for?
https://www.logos.com/product/38443/understanding-the-bible-commentary-series
I have found them useful, but I can speak to the NT volumes- using them alongside my translation work, developing an exegetical analysis, then diagramming each book or passage, finally creating expository notes for each book.
I have numerous commentaries, some are good, some very disappointing- but this UBCS is pretty good- which means to me "helpful."
I also meant to add I bought the NT- 18 volumes for 99.00; was going to add the OT volumes- but they want $278- not interested at that price. That's with the so called 45% off- disappointing.
For some reason there doesn't appear to be any dynamic pricing on this series.
Are there any existing users that can offer some reviews on this set?
It's OK, but not great. Amongst its competitors (in terms of length and level of technicality), I'd order like this:
Other similar commentaries I don't know well enough to rate include the College Press NIV series and the Believer's Church Bible Commentary.
There are some pretty good volumes on the Old Testament among the UBCS series, e.g.:
So, if you want a less technical commentary that gets straight to the point and covers the OT, this is worth considering.
I'm seeing a dynamic pricing, Mark.
I already have the 18-vol OT. It's cheaper for me to buy the entire 36-vol set with the BTS2014 discount than it is to buy the 18-vol NT set. I'm in! :-)
Question Mark: What rating would you give the NIB ?
Thanks!
DAL
Are there any existing users that can offer some reviews on this set? It's OK, but not great. Amongst its competitors (in terms of length and level of technicality), I'd order like this: Bible Speaks Today (10/10) Tyndale (9/10) IVP New Testament Commentary (8/5) Focus on the Bible (7/10) Baker NT Commentary (6.5/10) Black's NT Commentary (6.5/10) EP Study Commentary (6.5/10) Understanding the Bible (6/10) Westminster Bible Companion (5.5/10) Interpretation (5/10) Other similar commentaries I don't know well enough to rate include the College Press NIV series and the Believer's Church Bible Commentary.
Sorry, my mistake. I'd forgotten I had the OT volumes, so it was showing a greyed out full price for me for the set. I'd searched my library for NIBC (because that's what they used to be) and it had returned only the NT volumes.
This is going to upset you, but I'm afraid I don't particularly rate the NIB :-). I'm only really familiar with one volume (Acts-1 Cor), which I own in print, so perhaps I've just chosen a bad volume.
I'm just don't think it succeeds. One of my go to passages is 1 Corinthians 14, because there's both enormous scholarly debate and contemporary church interest — so you can see how well commentaries do on both counts.
The NIB requires quite a high level of English, so on the first page of that section the author uses words like 'encomium', 'paraenetic', 'inadvertences' and 'ineluctably'. And that's just one page! This stops it being useful to less-educated and less well-read church members who might normally benefit from a less technical commentary.
On the other hand, I miss the lack of footnotes and the discussion of other views. So, 1 Cor 14:34-36 is stated to be 'probably an insertion by an editor' with no discussion of the textual evidence at all! Whilst an argument can be made for that view, no argument is made for it.
And you get the the whole section, and find no discussion about the role of women in the church today, nor so-called charismatic gifts today.
So what's the NIB for? It seems to fall between two stools, providing neither simple readability, nor academic rigour nor contemporary application.
I'm sorry :-). I know you love the NIB. But I just can't see what it's trying to achieve. What's it for?
Question Mark: What rating would you give the NIB ? This is going to upset you, but I'm afraid I don't particularly rate the NIB :-).
This is going to upset you, but I'm afraid I don't particularly rate the NIB :-).
Don't worry Mark, not upset. You're just being honest in your answer, so no worries. Thanks for the review on the volume you have, though.
Bible Speaks Today (10/10) Tyndale (9/10) IVP New Testament Commentary (8/5) Focus on the Bible (7/10) Baker NT Commentary (6.5/10) Black's NT Commentary (6.5/10) EP Study Commentary (6.5/10) Understanding the Bible (6/10) Westminster Bible Companion (5.5/10) Interpretation (5/10)
This makes for an interesting list. Thank you. I'm just wondering, what in particular are you looking for in a commentary? This would help me understand how you rated the series mentioned. Obviously, everybody looks for something slightly different when it comes to commentaries. I think I could not but a list like that together. My list would be more detailed as to what commentary set covers which exegetical or hermeneutical aspect well. So when you've put this list together, what was your personal filter so to speak?
